The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Chamber breakfast; new store opens
Winningest coach injecting new life into football team
MIDDLETOWN » The summer is moving right along in Middlesex County and the chamber calendar continues to be packed with events and activities.
Last week featured a very successful KeyBank Workshop Series session on Sexual Harassment Prevention Training and important meetings of our Cromwell Division, Tourism Steering Committee and Board of Directors. The board meeting, led by chamber Chairman Rick Morin and held at Essex Steam Train and Riverboat, featured reports from chamber members and key staff and an update from Estuary Transit District Executive Director Joe Comerford on some of the transportation-related changes that are planned for our region.
I would like to thank Joe for taking the time to visit with our board, and our friends at Essex Steam Train and Riverboat for hosting and sponsoring the meeting. President and CEO Kevin Dodd offered remarks that focused on the importance of tourism to the economy and to our lifestyle. We are very fortunate to have Essex Steam Train and Riverboat as a vital part of our region and as an active member of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce.
This week also features a number of important chamber meetings, events and activities.
I look forward to attending the grand opening celebration for Fujiya Ramen at 425 Main St. today at 4 p.m. We are happy to welcome owner Andy Liu, chefs Takayuki Ishida and Taichiro Ogane and head server Akiko Ambiru as the ramen shop formally opens. We would like to wish them nothing but success as they embark on this exciting venture right here in Middletown.
Tuesday morning, our Westfield Division will hold a special meeting at 8 a.m. at the Centerpoint Connecticut offices. As part of the effort to keep our members in the Westfield section fully informed on the progress of the FedEx project, the meeting on Centerpoint Drive will focus on the 525,000-square-foot stateof-the-art distribution hub under construction in Westfield. Representatives from FedEx Ground and Barton Malow will attend the meeting to provide an update on the project and to address questions from our members. The meeting will also feature remarks from Mayor Dan Drew and other key city officials on issues that have an impact on Westfield businesses. We look forward to a productive meeting.
On Tuesday afternoon, I look forward to meeting with my fellow executives from Connecticut’s eight metro chambers of commerce. The eight metro chambers, spread out throughout the state, collectively represent thousands of Connecticut business. These important meetings always feature productive discussions about collaboration and joint advocacy for the business community. This chamber, and chambers around the state, will continue to fight for the business community every day.
A busy Tuesday continues in the evening as our friends at Water’s Edge Resort and Spa host our August Business After Work networking reception at their beautiful Westbrook facility. Overlooking the peaceful Long Island Sound, this historic gem combines charm, sandy beaches, beautiful resort accommodations, expansive meeting space and much more. This annual event on the shoreline has become very popular with our membership over the years. The Water’s Edge team puts out a delicious spread of food and drink, which always includes a little extra shoreline flavor, and the views of the beach and water are remarkable.
Water’s Edge Resort and Spa is a strong and active member of our chamber and we appreciate their willingness to continue hosting this event. I would like to once again thank the Datillo family and the entire staff at Water’s Edge Resort and Spa for their outstanding support of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce.
Looking ahead to later in the week, excitement continues to build for our August Member Breakfast Meeting Thursday morning at the Radisson Hotel in Cromwell. Sponsored by our friends at People’s United Bank, the morning will feature UConn Head Football Coach Randy Edsall as keynote speaker. Coach Edsall will provide an update on the upcoming season of Husky football which begins Aug. 31 vs. Holy Cross.
Coach Edsall has returned to UConn football with the goal of injecting new life and enthusiasm into the program. During his first stint at UConn from 1999-2010, he led the Huskies from Division I-AA into Division I-A making UConn the first school to ever move from the FCS to the Bowl Championship Series as a member of the Big East. Edsall has the most wins for a head football coach in Connecticut history as well as the most games coached. Before returning to UConn, he was most recently the head coach at the University of Maryland from 2011 to 2015 and was director of football research-special projects for the Detroit Lions in 2016.
We would like to thank Coach Edsall for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with our members. We look forward to hearing from him as we get closer and closer to the opening of another exciting season of UConn football Aug. 31 at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. I also want to thank People’s United Bank for sponsoring this meeting. I know that Northern Connecticut President Mike Casparino looks forward to introducing the coach at the event, and we appreciate the strong and longtime support of him and his team.
It is hard to believe, but the 2017 Middletown Summer Youth Employment Program is now in the books. We are so proud that during a period without an official state budget, when programs across the state were shut down, we were still able to place 40 youth employees into constructive employment environments at over 30 host work sites from a variety of different industry sectors.
This six-week program provides a solid foundation and a great glimpse into what life in the workforce is like. During the six weeks, our young people not only learned the fundamentals of employment, such as getting to work on time and being ready to contribute, but also the pride that comes with putting in a solid work week and receiving a paycheck that was earned through hard and honest work. This important program would not be possible without the support of our host work sites. These local, community minded businesses and organizations have stepped up to the plate this year to provide the work experience and supervision necessary to make this program work. I thank all of them on behalf of the chamber for their support.
Our 2017 host work sites are: Allstate Insurance, Amazing Grace Food Pantry, The Buttonwood Tree, Cavanaugh & Co. LLC, Change Inc., Community Foundation of Middlesex County, Finesse Cuts, LLC, Futures Inc., Godfrey Memorial Library, Goodwill Industries/ Easter Seals, Habitat for Humanity (ReStore), ID Mail Systems, Inn at Middletown, Liberty Bank, Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, Northern Middlesex YMCA, Middletown United Fathers Community Garden, North End Action Team, Oddfellows Playhouse, One MacDonough Place, Pamela Roose Specialty Hand Knits, Pegasus Manufacturing Inc., Russell Library, Seasons Federal Credit Union, Shiloh Youth Intergenerational Program, Strike-A-Pose Hair & Body Salon, Suburban Stationers, Tschudin Chocolates, William Raveis Real Estate, Camp Ingersol (YMCA) and Tonia’s Tailoring.
Even more so than our terrific host sites, the program’s success this year is due to the leadership of the city of Middletown and an outstanding team of private and community funders. I would also like to take a moment to once again thank our 2017 team of funding partners for their great contributions to this program. Without them, this program would simply not be possible.
Our 2017 team of funding partners is: the city of Middletown, under the leadership of Mayor Dan Drew and the Common Council, Peach Pit Foundation, Community Foundation of Middlesex County (Sam’s Family Fund, Coles Family Fund, Herb and Ellen Patterson Memorial Fund, MiddleOak Unrestricted Fund, Chuck and Rachel Wiltsie Fund), Liberty Bank Foundation, Jarvis Products Corporation, MiddleOak, Pegasus Manufacturing, Greenwald Industries, Stone Investment Properties, Guilmartin, DiPiro & Sokolowski, Larry & Patty McHugh, and Middlesex United Way.
We will also not forget that the original and primary funder of this program for many years is Workforce Alliance. Despite the fact that funding is not coming through the workforce board this year due to the state’s budget issues, President and CEO Bill Villano and his team have done a great job of processing applications, keeping the towns in their service area in the loop, and advocating for funding for youth employment in Connecticut. I thank Bill and his team, and all of our program supporters, for their continued dedication to this important initiative.
The Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce will continue to serve as a bridge between job seekers and employers, and the sun will continue to shine on Middlesex County.